Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the Albuquerque Police Department will receive a $250,000 federal grant aimed at helping the department in interactions with those who may have a history of behavioral health issues.

The grant is designed to help the Crisis Intervention Team work with criminal justice and mental health programs. According to the city, the CIT ” works with people in the Albuquerque Community who exhibit chronic behavior patterns that may pose risks to themselves or others.”

“We need more collaboration to get the appropriate services to people with mental illnesses, rather than sending them to jail,” Lujan Grisham said.

APD has faced heavy criticism for years for how officers handle situations involving those with behavioral health issues.

In 2014 the federal Department of Justice released a scathing report on APD’s history of officer involved shootings, and subsequently issued guidelines on how to move forward. Many of these interactions included those who were mentally ill, such as one that was the subject of a New Yorker investigative piece.

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